by Thomas J. Kniffen, Attorney at Law, Law Office of Thomas J. Kniffen

According to September 2014 U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs [VA] statistics, in excess of 780,000 veterans reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Arlington County, however, is home for approximately 2,700 veterans who are disabled from injury or illness that originated during active military service.

Admittedly, health care for veterans, as provided by VA, is frequently addressed by media coverage.  Important to veterans, without question, generally those veterans who served in the active military service and were separated under any condition other than dishonorable may qualify for VA health care benefits.  Enhanced health care benefits are available to certain veterans, for example former POWs, Purple Heart Medal recipients, Medal of Honor recipients, and those veterans who have a compensable VA awarded service-connected disability of 10% or more.  In this regard, VA set up Priority Groups 1 – 8, with 1 being the highest, based upon various factors, in an attempt to ensure health care benefits to as many veterans as annual budget constraints permit.  Specifics and more details can be found at www.VA.gov.

VA disability benefits, however, which produce a tax-free income stream for veterans who are injured or become ill during military service, are important for both veterans and their current or prospective employers to understand.

· As business leaders, we want to help our veteran population in Arlington County, including their dependents.
· Helping our veterans live fulfilled and economically productive lives in Arlington helps both business leaders and veterans.
Here are the basics regarding VA disability compensation benefits:

· A tax-free monetary benefit, VA Disability Compensation is paid to Veterans with disabilities that result from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service.

· Compensation may also be paid for disabilities that occur after service that are considered related or secondary to disabilities occurring in service and for disabilities presumed to be related to circumstances of military service, even though they may occur post-service.

· A disability can apply to physical conditions, such as a chronic knee condition, as well as mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

· Generally, the degrees of disability specified impacts the amount of monthly payment, and are set up and intended to compensate for average losses in earning capacity that result from illness or injury incurred during active service.

· According to the degree of the Veteran's disability, the benefit amount is determined by applying a scale of 10 percent to 100 percent, with increments of 10 percent.  

· If a Veteran has dependents, an additional allowance may be added if the Veteran’s combined disability is rated 30% or greater.

· Dependents of veterans, in their own right, benefit from certain VA disability compensation benefits.  Specifically, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax free monetary benefit generally payable to a surviving spouse, child, or parent of Service-members who died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training [weekend drill] or survivors of Veterans who died from their service-connected disabilities.

· To be eligible, a person is required to have performed service in the Uniformed Services on active duty, or active duty for training, or inactive duty training, and the Veteran was discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, and the Veteran is least 10% disabled by an injury or disease that was incurred in or aggravated during active duty or active duty for training, or inactive duty training.

Note: If the Veteran was on inactive duty for training, the disability must have resulted from injury, heart attack, or stroke.

Importantly, the veteran must provide:

· Medical evidence of a current physical or mental disability, and

· Evidence of a relationship between the veteran’s disability and an injury, disease, or event in military service. Medical records or medical opinions are required to establish this relationship.
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Under some circumstances, as noted, diagnosed illnesses are presumed to have occurred during active military service.  These aspects and other details regarding VA disability compensation benefits are further explained at www.va.gov and www.kniffenlaw.com.

by Patrick Frank, Patchbay Media 

Greetings from Cambridge, Massachusetts!
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I’m writing from Wistiafest – a video production and marketing conference organized by business video hosting platform, Wistia. I’m excited to be speaking at next week’s Small Business Roundtable where I’ll show you exactly what you need to do to produce your company’s first video. But first, let’s TOTALLY DESTROY 5 common myths I hear all the time about why companies haven’t tried using video in their marketing.

Myth #1 – Videos are Too Dang Expensive

Sure you could spend $10k on equipment or hire some incredible motion graphics artist who charges $1k per minute, but did you know you can create informative and compelling video using stuff you already have? Smartphones have made creating video incredibly accessible and next week (link) we’ll talk about leveraging phones and only about $100 of stuff from Amazon to make a great video you can put on your company homepage or Facebook page.

Myth #2 – But my video needs to GO VIRAL

Let’s all stop talking about making videos that are viral, and focus on making videos that are HELPFUL. By focusing on your audience’s needs and showing how your company can solve their problems, you’re creating content that is actionable and will be relevant for a really long. Your video is probably not going to go viral but you know what, that’s totally okay!

Myth #3 – Videos are friggin hard to make 
It’s true that a lot goes into a video – coming up with an idea, scripting, filming, editing, revising, posting. But here’s one video format that makes simplifies the process – an Interview video. An interview video is a sit down with someone from your team where they talk about the company, their role, their personality, a case study or client story, etc.
This way, there’s no scripting at all! All you need to do is make sure you’re asking the right questions and you’re having an engaging conversation with your interviewee. I’ll be showing you exactly how to pull this off at the Small Business Roundtable.

Myth #4 – But I have nothing to talk about 

Even the most boring business can make great videos. Don’t shy away from video just because you think your company is boring. You can answer some common client questions, showcase your team in an “about us” video, show off a new piece of software or equipment that is going to save your clients time and make their lives easier. There are plenty of ways to do a video that your current and potential clients will find useful and will enjoy watching!

Myth #5 – I don’t know how to get started! 
Don’t overthink your first video. You main goal should be to just do SOMETHING! It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to appeal to every single person that visits your website. All it takes is a good idea or a series of good questions, an iPhone or two, free editing software like iMovie and some time. Once you get the first one under your belt, you’ll be amazed at how much personality you can add to your brand! We’re all striving to make our companies more human and video is one of the best things you can do to convey this personality in a scalable way.
Hope this gives you some ideas on getting started and I hope to meet you next week at the Small Business Roundtable!

​by Ann Rosser, CEO, Finding Resolution 

Time management is not easy. Yet, we all have the same 24 hours in one day.  This blog post is the first of a series to help you become organized and better achieve goals.

Goals often elude us because we are more focused on the end result, rather than actions required to reach them.  Goal achievement depends on the specifics of your approach. 

To develop the specifics via BAM!  (Benchmarks, Achieve, Motivation):

a. Benchmarks- Set benchmarks that are mandatory steps leading up to the goal.

For instance, a goal to lose ten pounds by June 1, will not happen without a new eating and exercise plan. Realize that goals take time.  Set dates for the implementation of new eating and exercise plans NOW.  Don’t wait until May 28th to put in motion the steps needed to reach a June 1 goal.

b. Achieve- Examine WHY you want to achieve the goal.  If the achievement is for someone else and not for yourself, readjust your goal.
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c. Motivation- Determine what is MOTIVATING you.  Is it a “new look”?  New clothes?  Better health?

Envision yourself achieving your goal -- whether it is weight loss, sitting down as a family for dinner, or finishing an important project.  Seeing yourself at the finish line is important and so is imagining how it will make you feel.   Anticipating the feeling of achievement is as important as the resulting vision.

NEXT BLOG:  “So why do most people fail to achieve their goals?”